Synonyms

full stop

American

noun

period.

full stop British

noun

Also called (esp US and Canadian): period. the punctuation mark (.) used at the end of a sentence that is not a question or exclamation, after abbreviations, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of full stop

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And sometimes that gaze is just discomfiting, full stop.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Last year’s full stop on hiring is loosening up a bit.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

"Peace must come with the safety and security of our citizens, full stop," the ministry's spokesman said.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

Finally, thankful, full stop: Cardinal Robert Prevost ascending in May to the throne of Saint Peter, becoming the first American pontiff.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

Meanwhile, the full stop is surely the simplest mark to understand - so long as everyone continues to have some idea what a sentence is, which is a condition that can’t be guaranteed.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023